I had the opportunity to attend the 2007 Oregon Bounty Fresh Hop Beer Tastival in Troutdale, OR last weekend.  It was my first time attending.  It was a lot of fun and a very interesting experience.  It was sponsored by Oregon Bounty, the Oregon Brewers Guild, the Oregon Hop Growers Association, and McMenamins.  We sampled the following beers:

• Hop Trip - Pale Ale (Deschutes Brewery)
• Twisted Sister - Pale Ale (Karlsson Brewing Company)
• Step Sister - IPA (Karlsson Brewing Company)
• Fresh Hop Pale (Laurelwood Brewing Company)
• The Mutt - Pale Ale (Lucky Labrador Brewing Company)
• The Educator - Pale Ale (McMenamins)
• Cascadian Pale Ale (Mt. Hood Brewing Company)
• Harvest Man - Red Ale (Lompoc Brewing Company)
• Star of India - Pale Ale (Lompoc Brewing Company)
• Geschwills Golden Ale (Widmer Brothers)

My personal favorites were the Harvest Man and the Star of India.  All of the beers were excellent.  I thought the Geshwills was a little bland, but it was still good.  The Step Sister from Karlsson was intense!  It had a lot of flavor, and (somewhat surprisingly) it wasn’t completely overwhelmed by the hops.  Their Twisted Sister wasn’t as hoppy, but it was still impressive.  I have a soft spot for Karlsson - this was my first time drinking their beer, but they’re based in Sandy, OR (where I grew up).

Anyway, it was a great time.